Just Yuzuki
by MalaZh
Summary: I am content to be what I am. But apparently it was not so with Master Minoru. He went the extra length to ensure that I am me, though I am not sure what that meant. Post-story, Minoru/Yuzuki.


**Author's Note: Since CLAMP did not provide the original timeline of Chobits, either before or after what happened during the story arc, I had to improvise. Set one month after Chii decided on her 'Person Only for Me'.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything CLAMP created. Otherwise I'll be their fifth member.**

* * *

_He took my face in his small hands. Kind eyes looked at me with so much intensity and sadness; I supposed they mirrored my own. He was telling me the age-old story of why he had created me –to be a perfect replica of his deceased sister. I remembered replying with shaky voice when it became too unbearable to look up into his youthful face. He answered my every excuse, patiently, and I barely registered what he had spoken. This was untrue, of course, as persocoms remember every detail of their life. I could recall what he had said faster than the blink of an eye._

_But then he took me in his embrace, for the first time, prim and small and so much him. I felt his smile radiating warmth and my lips automatically turned up as well. That was funny; I did not think I had any heat receptors. But then I closed my eyes and I do not have to recall the memory from that day –my body remembered on its own, as if that was possible._

_"I want to be close to you, because you're Yuzuki."_

"…Yuzuki?"

I opened my eyes and glanced around the room. We were once again seated in Minoru-sama's study, his favorite place in the mansion. I glanced to my left and saw cables from my side flowing like ribbons all the way to his desktop computer. It took me a second to remember what we were there for.

Minoru-sama sat behind his desk. I could not see his eyes clearly due to his eyeglasses reflecting the light from his computer screen. But from the way his creased forehead and turned eyebrows, I concluded that he was troubled. Something must have gone wrong. I must have done something wrong.

"Yes, Master. Is something the matter? You look disconcerted,"

His eyebrows twitched ever so slightly. Then Minoru-sama shook his head, "I should be asking you. You took a while recovering after you disconnected from my computer, did something happen in between?"

Ah, that look he had on was from worry. Minoru-sama was worried about _me._ The thought made me smile a little. I imagined my chest growing warm, right above the place where a human heart was supposed to be.

"Nothing happened, Master," I replied, making sure he saw my smile so to help ease his worry, "Nothing to worry. I was just having a dream, is all."

Upon hearing my answer, he looked relieved. He even smiled a little, though his gaze suggested that he was still wary, "That's good to hear. In any case, I didn't know you can dream while doing a data reallocation process. What did you dream about, Yuzuki?"

"It was not a dream as much as a memory, Master Minoru," I calmly answered as I pulled the plugs from my head. Then I stood up and started putting them away, "It was a pleasant one, too."

"A memory? What of?"

I stopped halfway and looked at him. Minoru-sama now sat on the edge of his seat with his head propped up against both of his propped hands, his face mildly intrigued. I knew that look; he always had it when he was eager to learn something new. It was apparent every time Hideki-sama came with yet another question about Chii-san and it appeared again when Minoru-sama found the answer.

I knew that persocoms were not supposed keep secrets. On the majority, we were programmed to tell the truth when our masters commands us so. Kotoko-san was a prime example of one. And it was not as if Minoru-sama did not know of this particular memory; he was at the center of it. Still, I hesitated. It was almost…embarrassing to admit it out loud. He apparently saw that.

"Hey, I don't want to make you troubled," he gently took my hand and cradled it like porcelain, "I'm sorry. You don't have to say it if you don't want to."

That was not what I meant. I opened my mouth to explain, but Minoru-sama raised a finger before it. He shook his head quietly, and I smiled in understanding. I decided to change the subject.

"So, what did you change in me, Master?" I asked nonchalantly, strangely the words felt like burnt circuit in my tongue. I supposed I always got nervous every time Minoru-sama made any adjustments, primarily because I dislike change. Honestly, I was afraid that one day he decided that he no longer found me useful, so he deleted me. I was pretty sure he would not do it, but what if?

I finished putting away the cables. Minoru-sama went back to his computer.

This time, he took his time in answering. I waited for him patiently with my hands joined at my lap, as always. Finally Minoru-sama looked up; he took off his glasses and drew out his breath.

"I decided to erase my sister's data from you completely."

My eyes widened in surprise. This was not what I had expected to hear.

"Erase…completely?" Even my voice sounded like someone else's; distant and shaken. I tried to maintain my calm, "Master, but why?"

Minoru-sama leaned back against his recliner and closed his eyes, "I figured you don't need it anymore. My sister died two years ago, and it's about time I let go. You've been around for some time, so you must have developed a personality of your own, a combination of my sister's and the everyday life we've spent together. It's as simple as that. I left everything else intact; you will still be the head of… oh!"

I slumped on the floor. My legs could not support my weight, although that did not make sense –I was just charged and I got enough sun light. I looked at my shaking hands and then to Minoru-sama who stopped midsentence because he heard me slouching. Slouching was not very becoming, especially in the presence of someone important.

Minoru-sama now knelt beside me. His face had that same worried look he had before. I must have caused him pain.

"I'm sorry, I did not know what had gotten into me," I smiled weakly, but that did not seem genuine, "Forgive me as well, Master, I disrupted your explanation. I –"

"You should stop saying sorry so much, Yuzuki,"

Another reprimand. I bit my lip. "I'm s—"

Minoru-sama stopped me with his stern look. I smiled nervously.

"I did not know you wished it so, Master. Your sister has been a large part of you, and fulfilling that role has been central to my very existence to this day. Although you said that I do not need your sister's personality data anymore, I must enquire that without it, I am lost."

This time Minoru-sama did not answer me right away. Instead, he played with the ends of my braid. It seemed that he was choosing his words.

"Did you remember what I had said to you, back when you had tried to infiltrate the National Data Bank?" he asked, not quite meeting my eyes.

I smiled and recited the words like I relived that moment every day.

"My programming is my personality. And that I don't need to be Kaede's replacement. No one can replace her, as much as no one can replace me," I paused. Then continued on, "You want to be close to me, because I'm me …right, Master?"

He nodded, "Correct. You are you. Kaede is Kaede. Personality runs much deeper than programming; it is a combination of nature versus nurture," he answered, still playing with my hair in between his fingers, "My sister's personality data helped create your personality. But who you are right now, who you turned out to be, it also came from our everyday interactions. Your memories and actions are all yours."

Minoru-sama stopped to smell my hair. It tingled where he tugged it a little. Then he continued.

"You have no reason to say what my sister would've done, as much as she has no reason to dictate what you should've. That goes for me too. I shouldn't have tried to replace Kaede with anyone, especially you. I realized this the first time you collapsed, but it became clearer to me last month.

"Last month when Chii stopped every persocom in this city, including –especially you, I was afraid. I was not sure of what to do. Even with my superior intellectuality, _especially _due to it, I disliked not knowing what to do. But from it, I knew exactly what to do."

He sat on his knees so that he towered slightly above me. Last time he also did this, I wondered if he liked being taller than me. Then he took both of my hands and ran his thumb over each one. I looked up to him expectantly.

"I needed to erase my sister's memories from your system, in order to see the real Yuzuki. Like I said, I believe you have gone through enough to have a 'Yuzuki subroutine' in your learning software, and that's enough for the future. That's why you won't have trouble; you can handle everything the Yuzuki way. From here on, all you need to remember is your own memories, with me."

I stared at Minoru-sama's deep set eyes in disbelief.

"You really think I could do all that?"

"Of course I do," he put on his playful, boyish smirk, "I created you, remember? I'm the best."

I laughed at his childish pride, "I trust you with my life, Master Minoru. What I meant was that you would be alright with me, being just Yuzuki?"

He sighed, "We've been over this. There's nothing wrong with being just Yuzuki. In fact, I'm looking forward to it," he smiled gently; his cheeks ever slightly pink, "I'm starting to see the difference already. You no longer compare yourself with Kaede. Although there's the over-apologizing and the formalities, but now I know that it's just Yuzuki."

I returned his smile. Now it felt genuine, like I know that it's _my _smile. Not anyone else's.

"I like using a formal tone, unless…you are against it?"

"I love it," his answer came in a murmur as he kissed my hands, eyes closed. I blushed a little at his sudden, sweet, subtle confession –if blushing meant having heated circuits in my cheeks.

Then suddenly he sat up, his face deadly serious, "Although now that you're you, there is something I'd like to ask of you. And you can't say no. Promise me."

His sudden change in attitude alarmed me. I sat up as well and braced myself for whatever he wished of me. Of course I would oblige to whatever his heart wished, so I nodded. But then he blushed adorably as he said his next words.

"I want you to stop calling me Master Minoru."

I blinked, twice. I realized he was being serious, so I suppressed the laughter building in my throat –one that came from seeing his face half-pouting, half-blushing. This must came from a long buildup of irritation. Instead, I did what I do best.

I smiled.

"I understand…Minoru-san."

"Minoru is fine."

I smiled wider, "One step at a time, Minoru-san."

He pouted again, but soon resigned to the condition, "Fine. Minoru-san. We'll work from there."

Then he pulled me to his embrace, and I rested my head against the crook of his shoulder. He was right; I did not have Kaede's memories to flavor this moment with sisterly love. This was something else altogether. Something I had heard of, but unsure of what it was exactly. Something that only Yuzuki felt.

I disliked change. But this is fine. I would welcome change, as long as Minoru wished it so. I would welcome change if he brought it to me, for us. I trust him with my life. And I can, because I am just Yuzuki.


End file.
